from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
TABELLIO. An officer among the Romans who reduced to writing and into proper
form, agreements, contracts, wills, and other instruments, and witnessed
their execution. The term tabellio is derived from the Latin tabula, seu
tabella, which in this sense, signified those tables or plates covered with
wax which were then used instead of paper. 8 Toull. n. 5; Delauriere, sur
Ragneau, mot Notaire.
2. Tabelliones differed from notaries in many respects: they had
judicia jurisdiction in some cases, and from their judgments there were no
appeals. Notaries were then the clerks or aiders of the tabelliones, they
received the agreements of the parties, which they reduced to short notes;
and these contracts were not binding until they were written in extenso,
which was done by the tabelliones. Encyclopedie de, M. D'Alembert, mot
Tabellion; Jac. Law. Dict. Tabellion; Merlin, Repertoire, mot Notaire, Sec.
1; 3 Sec. Giannone's Istoria di Napoli, p. 86.